When we talk about the impact of your support, it’s not just about the equipment or the numbers. It’s about real people. People like Jim. And people like Edward, one of CRITICAL’s incredible volunteer responders who give their time to help neighbours in need.
On Easter Sunday evening, while most of us were settling in after dinner, Edward got a message on his phone. It was short and to the point, like all the alerts he receives from the National Ambulance Service. But behind that message was someone in serious trouble.
Thanks to kind-hearted support from people like you, Edward is fully trained and equipped with top-of-the-line medical equipment and a rapid response vehicle. That means he can be out the door in seconds, often arriving before an ambulance gets there.
This particular call was about Jim.
Jim had just finished Easter dinner when he started to feel a bit off. At first, he didn’t think much of it. Probably just indigestion, he reckoned. But thankfully, his wife Hilary knew something wasn’t right. She trusted her gut and called 999 straight away. Jim believes that decision saved his life.
When Edward arrived at the house, he found Jim lying on the bed with Hilary and their daughter by his side, doing everything they could to keep him calm. Jim later said he thought it was the end. Not because of the pain, but because he was worried about the shock and grief it would cause his family.
Thanks to the equipment your donations help fund, Edward was able to assess Jim’s condition on the spot. He quickly picked up on something very serious. Jim was having a heart attack caused by a complete blockage in one of his main coronary arteries. Edward passed that vital information back to the emergency services, helping to make sure the right help got to Jim without delay.
Thankfully, Jim pulled through. He got the care he needed in time and has since made a full recovery.
But not everyone is that lucky.
Here in Ireland, many of us live in rural or spread-out areas where emergency services can take longer to reach. That’s why CRITICAL’s volunteers are such a lifeline. Every day, they’re helping to close the gap between an emergency and the moment help arrives.
We know these are tough times for a lot of people, but if you are in a position to help, even a small donation can make a real difference. It helps us train and equip more volunteers like Edward, so we can be there for more families like Jim’s when they need us most.
Together, we can make sure there’s a responder like Edward in every community in Ireland.